The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0803 Suspicion (2)

Yan Wushuang had always felt that Yuxi's behaviour was abnormal, but if asked to explain exactly what was wrong, he couldn't quite put it into words. The information he had obtained this time made him feel that Yuchen probably knew the reason but hadn't been honest about it.

Yan Wushuang stopped going around in circles with Yuchen and asked directly, "Heshou Xianzhu met you before she died. What did she tell you?" Yan Wushuang was very familiar with Heshou Xianzhu. After all, it was because of her that Zhou Chaixuan had escaped death back then. Had Zhou Chaixuan died, Yan Wushuang would not have revealed himself so quickly.

Upon hearing this, Yuchen's entire body stiffened.

Yan Wushuang looked at Yuchen expressionlessly and demanded, "Whatever Heshou told you, tell me every single word."

Yuchen lowered her voice and recounted, "Heshou said that Yuxi was like her and also possessed the ability to foresee the future. She said those things for no other reason than to put Yuxi in a situation that would lead to her death." Had Yuxi been in the capital at the time, the Emperor and the others would certainly have confined her. But Yuxi was in the northwest and had many people protecting her, so even the Emperor could do nothing to her.

Yan Wushuang's pupils contracted, but he quickly became puzzled again. If Han Yuxi could foresee the future, how could she have come so close to death time and again? "Han Yuxi can foresee the future?"

Yuchen shook her head. "No. If Yuxi could have foreseen the future, she wouldn't have become engaged to Chen Ran, which brought a life-threatening calamity upon her. Much less marry Yun Qing. Besides, if she really could, she wouldn't have been assassinated." Although Yuxi was living very well now, her earlier circumstances had been extremely perilous.

After a moment's silence, Yan Wushuang asked, "What else did Heshou tell you?"

Yuchen said, "She said that I could originally have become an Empress who served as the motherly model for all under Heaven, but because she intervened and saved the Ninth Prince at the time, she changed the course of my life."

Yan Wushuang now understood why Yuchen had been especially obedient that day. "Tomorrow, you may enter the palace to see your son."

Yuchen curtsied and said, "Thank you, Wangye." But even though she could see her son, she felt no joy.

After returning to her courtyard, Yuchen shivered several times. Having been exposed to the cold wind outside for so long, she had probably caught a chill.

Momo Gui hurriedly brought her a bowl of brown sugar and ginger tea. Once Yuchen had finished drinking it, Momo Gui informed her, "The bathwater has already been prepared. Niangniang should hurry and take a bath."

While bathing, Yuchen suddenly asked Momo Gui something. "I remember that the last letter I received from Yurong said she was pregnant. I wonder if she had a boy or a girl?" Ever since Han Jingyan and Wen Shi came to persuade her to remarry, Yuchen had wanted no further involvement with the Han residence. Therefore, she hadn't asked anyone to inquire about Yurong either.

Momo Gui shook her head. "This old servant isn't very sure either. If Niangniang wants to know, we can simply send someone to find out."

Yuchen shook her head. "No need. When Biaosao comes over, I'll ask her." She feared that asking about Yurong now would make Yan Wushuang suspicious. When dealing with Yan Wushuang, Yuchen exercised twelve parts of caution. This man's thoughts ran far too deep, so it was better for her to remain cautious.

When Yuchen arrived at the Imperial Palace and saw that Zhou Yan had lost even more weight, her heart ached terribly. She asked Momo Qin, who attended Zhou Yan, "Why has His Highness lost so much weight?" Momo Qin had been personally selected by Yuchen to look after Zhou Yan. Apart from Momo Qin, all the other people around Zhou Yan had also been selected by Yuchen. This was also to guard against people with malicious motives saying bad things about her in his presence and causing a rift between mother and son.

Momo Qin replied, "His Highness has recently been studying until midnight every day and rising before dawn in the morning to review his lessons, so he has lost a great deal of weight. Niangniang, this old servant has advised him many times, but unfortunately His Highness refuses to listen."

Yuchen stroked Zhou Yan's face and advised, "Yan-er, it's good to study, but you can't damage your health because of it." In truth, Yuchen wanted Zhou Yan to practise martial arts, but Yan Wushuang had not agreed.

Zhou Yan shook his head. "Mom, I'm not tired."

Yuchen took out the clothes she had made for Zhou Yan and said, smiling, "Here, Mom made these clothes for you. See whether you like them." Yuchen's embroidery skills were not particularly good, and it had taken her a long time to make this outfit.

Zhou Yan glanced at them and nodded. "I like it."

Mother and son did not have much time together. After accompanying Zhou Yan through lunch, Yuchen returned to Yan Wangfu.

Two days later, Zhao Shi, the wife of the Marquis of Qingping, came to visit Yuchen. When she heard Yuchen ask about Yurong, she smiled and replied, "Second Young Madam Jiang has given birth to a son. I heard he weighed more than seven jin. Madam Jiang was absolutely delighted. If the child weren't still in Henan, she would certainly have held a grand celebration." Yurong had given birth at the end of the eighth month, so her postpartum confinement coincided with the hottest period of the year.

What Yuchen truly wanted to know was not news about Yurong, but about Jiang Hongjin. In truth, Yuchen had selectively forgotten the things Heshou had told her that day. But Yan Wushuang's words had stirred up those memories again. Yuchen furrowed her brows and asked, "Yurong and the child are in Henan. Isn't Second Master Jiang going to bring the mother and son back?"

Zhao Shi responded, "Niangniang might not know this, but Second Master Jiang offended someone in Luoyang and only returned to the capital after someone disfigured him." Although Jiang Hongjin himself was not especially important, his father was the Minister of Revenue, so his sudden return naturally attracted considerable attention. Something as serious as being disfigured would be easily noticed by anyone paying even a little attention.

Yuchen's heart gave a sudden jump. "Disfigured?"

Zhao Shi nodded. "But I heard he has already been treated, and only a few marks remain." After pausing, she lowered her voice and added, "I heard that the person behind it even drugged Second Master Jiang and made him impotent. It wasn't until news reached the capital that Second Young Madam Jiang had given birth to a big, healthy baby boy that the rumour finally died down." As the saying goes, 'Good news doesn't leave the door, but bad news travels a thousand li'. Luoyang was far from the capital, yet these matters had still spread all the way back there. However, as soon as the rumour emerged, Madam Jiang publicly announced that Yurong was pregnant, and the rumour consequently collapsed on its own without needing to be refuted.

Hearing this, Yuchen suddenly remembered what Heshou had said before her death. Heshou had said that in Yuxi's previous life, she had married Jiang Hongjin, but Jiang Hongjin had disliked her and had refused even to consummate their marriage after the wedding. At this thought, Yuchen dug her fingernails into her palm and used the pain to force herself to remain calm. "Biaosao, has the person behind this been found?"

Zhao Shi shook her head. "No. Luoyang isn't the capital, after all, and the Jiang family's influence there isn't strong enough." Even if the Jiang family had found the mastermind directing matters from behind the curtain, they would never have allowed outsiders to know.

Inside, Yuchen's emotions were already churning like overturned rivers and seas, but she kept smiling. Apart from Momo Gui, no one else, not even Zhao Shi, noticed anything unusual about her.

Zhao Shi asked Yuchen, "Yuchen, I heard that several women in Yan Wangfu are pregnant?" Yuchen was Yan Wushuang's favourite concubine, yet she had not become pregnant, which inevitably made Zhao Shi suspicious.

Yuchen smiled. "Both of the Yu sisters are pregnant." Although Yuchen held the highest position among the women in Yan Wang's rear courtyard, the affairs of the inner residence were still handled by Chief Steward Tang. Yuchen understood the situation perfectly well. Yan Wushuang didn't trust her at all, so how could he possibly let her manage the rear courtyard?

Zhao Shi grasped Yuchen's hand and advised, "Then you'd better get a move on too!!" After saying this, she hurriedly explained, "This is Father-in-law's opinion. He said that the only way you will be able to protect His Highness Zhou Yan securely in the future is by bearing children for Wangye." Although Zhou Yan had been formally named Huang Taidi, his situation remained extremely dangerous.

Yuchen smiled rather stiffly. "This is something that can't be rushed. We'll just let nature take its course." Whether they were sincerely concerned for her and Yan-er, or merely considering the Chiang family's interests, Yuchen no longer wanted to investigate. In any case, she had no intention of having another child.

Seeing this, Zhao Shi assumed Yuchen also wanted a child but couldn't conceive. She immediately took a sheet of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Yuchen. "This is the prescription I used in the past. You should give it a try as well." Zhao Shi's first child had been a daughter. After finding and using this prescription, she later gave birth to two sons in succession.

Yuchen accepted the paper with both hands, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Saozi." When Jing Wang was still alive, Yuchen had also sought out several prescriptions intended to help her conceive a son. Unfortunately, she never became pregnant. In hindsight, she was fortunate not to. Had she become pregnant then, she certainly would not have been able to keep that child safe.

After seeing Zhao Shi off, Yuchen returned to her room, leaned against the bed and found herself unable to sort out her thoughts due to her confusion. Jiang Hongjin had once insisted on marrying Yurong because he harboured improper desires towards Yuchen, which was why he had been unwilling to consummate the marriage on his wedding night. Had Yuxi not been adopted into another branch of the family, Jiang Hongjin would certainly have proposed to her instead, according to the sisters' order of seniority. Given her father's personality, he certainly would not have rejected such a marriage proposal. Therefore, what Heshou had said might very well have been true.

Momo Gui watched Yuchen's expression change repeatedly and hurriedly asked, "Niangniang, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

In a voice as faint as a mosquito's, Yuchen said, "Momo, I suspect that the person who disfigured Jiang Hongjin was Yuxi." According to Heshou, Yuxi had been weak and incapable in her previous life, suffering endless hardships after marrying into the Jiang family. Now, Jiang Hongjin had suddenly been harmed by a mysterious person, leaving him impotent and disfigured. Yuchen suspected that this mysterious person was Yuxi, seeking revenge for what had happened in her previous life. Although this idea seemed absurd, it was also the most reasonable explanation. 

Momo Gui jumped in fright and lowered her voice. "How could it be Si Gunainai? She and Wu Guye have neither grievance nor feud. Why would she deal him such a ruthless blow?"

Yuchen trusted Momo Gui not to speak carelessly, and at that moment, she desperately needed someone to confide in. So she immediately told Momo Gui everything Heshou had told her. "I suspect Yuxi was taking revenge." In her previous life, Yuxi must have suffered greatly and endured many hardships. Now that she had the ability to act in this life, she had gone after Jiang Hongjin for revenge.

Momo Gui was so frightened that her legs nearly went weak. "Then does that mean Si Gunainai really is the same kind of person as Heshou ?" If Yuxi had lived an entire extra lifetime, would that not make her some kind of demon?

Yuchen shook her head. "This is only my speculation. We still can't be sure that Yuxi was the one who took action against him. Maybe he offended someone in Luoyang who simply took revenge." Yuxi had always been very cautious and had never done anything bizarre or astonishing. Apart from those with ulterior motives, no normal person would believe she was some kind of demon.

Momo Gui quickly calmed down and exclaimed, "Niangniang, we cannot tell anyone about this, especially not Yan Wang." Once Yan Wushuang learned of it, he would certainly use it to attack Yuxi. However, Yuxi's position in the northwest was as firm as a massive rock, so something like this would not cause her any real loss.

It was not because Momo Gui's conscience had suddenly felt remorse or decided to act according to one's conscience that she did not want to cause trouble for Yuxi. Rather, it was because Yuxi had a temperament of repaying even the smallest grievance. In the past, when she had neither power nor influence, Yuxi would endure things. Now that she possessed power and influence, anyone who offended her would certainly face retaliation. And they themselves could not withstand Yuxi's revenge.

Yuchen shook her head. "I won't say anything." If she had wanted to tell anyone, she would have done so a long time ago.